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Types of foster care

You may not realise that there are a number of different types of foster care that Portsmouth City Council provides. A brief summary of each can be found below. Should you choose to go forward to the assessment process, we will discuss these roles more closely with you at your first meeting.

Long-term carers

We always need foster carers who can provide a permanent home for children and young people. This type of care is a long-term commitment and you need to be willing to stick by them through the good and bad times until adulthood. You really could make a difference to their future.You will need to embrace them as another member of your family while recognising that they still have a relationship with their birth family.

Carers for brothers and sisters

We have a number of children who need to stay together with their brothers and/or sisters. Could you offer a long-term family placement to those children who need to stay together within a family?

Short-term carers

Short-term foster care can mean caring for a child or children for a few days, a few weeks or for up to two years. During this period social workers will be making plans for them to move on to a permanent placement, either with their birth family or a new permanent carer(s). This can be a very unsettling time and part of your role will be to support the child to move on.

Parent and Baby placements

We require carers to provide short term placements for parents and their babies, offering support and advice so the parents can care for their own child. Each parent will need different levels of support and monitoring, which will be made clear to you in advance. You would not care directly for the baby except for short periods agreed in advance to give the parent a break.

Respite

This type of care helps families at a particularly difficult time, for example during an illness. Close links are maintained between the carers, the families and social services. Respite care is normally planned but could be needed at short notice. This type of care is also offered to other foster carers who need a break. The service sometimes has enough respite carers but don’t be put off, as this is not the case for any of the other types of fostering.

Family Link

These carers provide respite care through regular short breaks of up to 48 hours a month for children with disabilities. This gives parents the chance to have a break from looking after their disabled child, while giving the child opportunities to meet different people and do new things.

Emergency carer

These carers offer emergency placements outside office hours e.g. weekends and bank holidays. They can also be called at short notice late at night.

Pre-adoption

We need foster carers to provide short-term placements for children of all ages and for groups of brothers and sisters while they prepare for adoption. This can be a very unsettling time and part of your role will be to support the child to move on.

Supportive lodgings

The lodgings scheme provides accommodation for young people aged 16 and over. This service is run by the council’s young person support team and you will need to apply separately through them. They need carers who can provide a range of accommodation and support to young people as they try to find their way in life. Many of these young people will have previously been placed in foster homes or one of our residential establishments. For more information about becoming a supported lodgings carer contact the supportive lodgings worker on 023 9268 8114.

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